PSA: Reader grading is coming back, and you can help us beta-test it

A.V. Club legend speaks of a time when readers were able to register their own grades on a review. These grades would then be averaged into one authoritative voice of the people—an aggregate assessment that was obviously the correct opinion, unless it wasn’t. In other words, it was one more thing to argue about, and ever since reader grades disappeared, commenters have been forced to argue about the lack of reader grades instead. It’s just not the same.

In seriousness, we never intended for reader grades to be absent for so long, but the good news is that they’re coming back. Before we unleash reader grading to the masses, we’d like your help working out the kinks in the grading widget. Starting today, a randomly selected subset of logged-in users will see the beta version of the grading widget at the top of film, TV, music, and book reviews. Try it out if you see it, and should you encounter a bug or have any other comments on your user experience, let our tech team know by e-mailing bugs@avclub.com.

We want to get feedback from our most enthusiastic and active readers, so if you find that you’re not part of the randomly selected beta-test group, you can opt in by clicking the button below.

Our digital craftsmen will use your input to sand the edges off the grading widget so that it’s safe for widespread use, and soon everyone will be able to reduce their complex, nuanced opinions to a single easily digestible data point.